Contours of Belt and Road Initiative for South Asia

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is the initiative of current Chinese President Xi Jinping announced in 2013. It aims to connect China with Europe and Africa, potentially linking 65 countries and 4.4 billion people. The initiative involves approximately $1 trillion in infrastructure investment.

China shares borders with five South Asian nations and has become the largest trading partner of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh over the past 15 years. Major projects include the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) at an estimated $54 billion cost.